Captain – Chapter 561 – She Thought, and the Sea Became Still as a Mirror

Yes, an enemy attack.

In the midst of being pursued by the giant serpent, at the crucial moment when they were about to escape the death zone, no one would have anticipated that the Mermaid would suddenly come under cannon fire—not even Roy.

This led to this perfect ambush, causing them to fall into desperate straits once again.

The cannon fire thundered like lightning, showing no signs of stopping.

One could discern the enemy’s purpose in this assault: to strike while the Mermaid was escaping death’s clutches, when their vigilance was at its lowest, and sink this legendary ghost ship to the ocean floor in one decisive blow.

Never to give them another chance to turn things around.

Because the incoming artillery fire was too fierce, combined with the increasingly violent rocking of the ship due to the turbulent sea, the Mermaid’s ability to resist was extremely limited. Cannon fire and gunshots rang out sporadically, with screams of agony rising every moment.

Though the captain had given no orders, the helmsman had no choice but to turn hard to starboard, trying to pull away from the enemy as much as possible to reduce casualties.

“Bang!”

The wooden door was pushed open heavily, and Roy walked out with a cold expression.

The raven perched in the siren’s palm, seeing this, consciously flew back to her shoulder.

After leaving the siren with a word to “be careful,” the captain strode quickly toward the corridor, soon reaching the wooden ladder and swiftly climbing upward.

With a muffled sound, the wooden hatch was thrown open, and the girl finally returned to the deck.

But what greeted her was not sea breeze and gentle rain, but whistling cannonballs and snowflake-like wooden fragments scattered from the blasted deck.

Though under Alexis’s control, the Mermaid had already turned and sailed some distance away, sporadic cannonballs still struck from what should have been the side of life and hope. More dangerously, the sea seemed to have changed its face.

The ocean that had been especially gentle to this ghost ship due to the sea goddess’s blessing now roared at them, baring its terrifying fangs.

It seemed to have come alive, the entire sea surface surging without cause, with sharp wave crests rising from below and heavily striking the Mermaid’s hull.

In the distance, tsunami-like rogue waves rolled over one after another, the highest ones even several times taller than the warship’s main mast.

At this rate, even if the warship wasn’t swallowed by cannon fire, it would inevitably be battered to pieces by this raging sea and finally buried in the mouth of ghosts.

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And the main cause of this situation…

Slowly lowering the hand that had been blocking the wooden fragments, Roy looked toward the bow and finally saw clearly the tragic scene that left one momentarily speechless.

The lifelike mermaid figurehead that had protected the warship through storms and was considered the soul of this ghost ship had now completely lost its color.

It was pale throughout, showing not half a trace of spirituality.

What made the girl even more bewildered and angry was that it had been sliced in half, leaving only the lower body connected to the base, the cut so smooth it was chilling.

The mermaid that had escaped countless hunters’ pursuits had finally perished under a poisoned harpoon, and with it, the blessing that had accompanied it for countless years was gone.

Gone without a trace, along with all hope.

How well-prepared they truly were.

First stirring up wild tides to deceive her “eyes,” launching this perfect ambush at the optimal moment, then using special cannonballs to shatter the figurehead that seemed fragile but was actually harder than gold and iron.

This enemy understood the Mermaid far too well, with a mind terrifyingly deep.

And how had the enemy been able to determine from the very beginning which route they would take, and set this nearly unsolvable trap here?

Two opposing figures seated on their respective thrones, similar in various aspects, flashed before the girl’s eyes, making her thoughts even more complex.

The fog before her eyes grew thicker, beyond even the devil’s pupils’ ability to pierce.

“Captain!”

Rather than seeking the truth, how to escape the predicament was the key issue at hand.

Therefore Roy suppressed her thoughts, preparing to take command of the warship affairs. At the same time, somewhat anxious calls came from ahead. Except for Lance and others who needed to remain at their posts and return to duty, more than ten important figures had all arrived.

“Report the situation.”

Waving away the telescope offered by the bosun, the captain walked through the path the crowd made for her, bringing them to the side rail. Squinting slightly toward the side beyond the giant waves, once prepared, the surging sea fog could no longer obstruct her vision.

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“It’s the Nightmare King, Tarlin Dempsey’s ship.”

The speaker was Wyatt.

Compared to the rest of them, this first mate who had fought alongside Enzo for over ten years naturally had superior experience regarding this sea and pirate matters.

Due to the urgent time and confidence in the girl, believing she would surely understand, Wyatt didn’t elaborate further on the enemy’s identity.

He immediately moved to the next topic, speaking rapidly: “I ordered a turn to the northwest at the first opportunity, but we still couldn’t avoid the second and third rounds of artillery fire. Though casualties are still manageable, the ship’s hull is severely damaged.”

“I’m afraid… we no longer have the ability to counterattack.”

“No ability to counterattack” was a more diplomatic way of putting it.

Before boarding the deck, Roy had already used her authority to understand the personnel and warship damage situation, knowing that under these circumstances, forget counterattacking—they probably couldn’t even escape this sea area, which meant…

They couldn’t leave the Triangle.

If they didn’t want to die under enemy fire, they could only turn toward the depths, but then being caught by the pursuing ghosts would only be a matter of time.

And this was obviously the interceptor’s plan as well.

Though discovering the Mermaid had no intention of engaging in battle, the ambushing enemy showed no inclination to pursue them deeply. Their purpose was merely to cut off their retreat.

Then watch a good show of driving the tiger to devour the wolf.

For the current captain, this simple situation had been thoroughly analyzed during the few minutes it took her to return from her cabin to the deck. Therefore, her main attention was actually focused on the first mate’s opening statement.

Tarlin Dempsey…

The Deep Sea Captain.

Though Roy had suspected from the beginning when she saw the surging waves through the siren’s cabin porthole, she was still somewhat puzzled by his arrival.

Because setting aside Enzo’s factor, she had no grievances with that sinister and terrifying captain, and indeed had virtually no contact except at the legendary conference.

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Are you here for Enzo, or…

Are you already a follower of one of those two?

Through the surging giant waves and pervasive water mist, the captain clearly saw the person standing at the Nightmare King’s side rail, watching her with interest.

She saw clearly this legendary figure considered the Night Curtain Captain’s mortal enemy, known as the Deep Sea of the Western Waters. She saw clearly the strange curved blade he held, and the four people standing respectfully beside him with lowered heads, closest to him.

If she wasn’t mistaken, the one standing to his left was one of the few great conspirators on this sea, First Mate Ferguson. As for those three behind him…

They were some very interesting “things.”

“Your judgment is very accurate.”

After a moment, Roy spoke indifferently: “Under these circumstances, we indeed only have this one path to take, and moreover… it seems we can only walk it to the very end.”

“But Captain Roy, the question is, do we really have a chance to walk this path?”

Faced with the girl’s acknowledgment, Wyatt didn’t breathe a sigh of relief, but continued to stare intently at her back, asking in a heavy voice, for himself and for all the crew.

Though no one mentioned it, they had all seen the tragic state of the mermaid figurehead being severed in one strike, knowing this ghost ship no longer had the ability to weather storms safely.

So could they escape this violently chaotic, swamp-like sea area?

If not, everything would just be fantasy.

The screams on the warship rose and fell, making the silence of the important figures particularly oppressive. Except for the sailors cleaning the deck or carrying wounded who could still be saved to the medical bay, the other pirates all turned their gazes toward the girl.

If the promotional work by the bosun and others in recent days had successfully raised morale and united hearts, building momentum for Roy while suppressing some people’s ulterior motives, then now was the time to test its authenticity.

If she couldn’t display such power, couldn’t lead them out of this death trap, then no one knew whether blood would flow on the deck the next moment.

Whether the extremely limited trust would shatter in an instant.

With so much at stake, not just ordinary crew members, but even the powerful figures couldn’t help but breathe more heavily. Only the captain’s expression remained calm and indifferent.

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“How dare you…”

Seeing this, the raven, recalling certain unpleasant memories, began squawking sharply at the crowd, its eyes and words full of indignation. But before it could finish, Roy extended her finger to gently stroke under its chin, stopping its words.

“It’s alright, good girl. It won’t be like that time.”

Taking one last look at the Deep Sea Captain, the captain softly comforted her pet while turning toward the captain’s quarters. No one had the courage to stop her.

But undoubtedly, the atmosphere on deck gained a hint of gunpowder due to her actions.

Like a powder keg that could explode at any moment.

“Oh, I forgot to mention.”

Stopping at the captain’s quarters door, Roy turned around gracefully, facing the people whose gazes never left her. What made them shudder was that at this moment, brilliant radiance surged in this captain’s pupils, blazing like molten lava.

Following this came an irrepressible sense of submission, like facing a new king.

The girl spread her arms slightly, smiling as she said: “For now, let’s proceed as Mr. Wyatt suggested—we’ll escape northwest for a while first.”

“As for other matters, I’ll arrange them after I figure things out.”

“That’s all, everyone continue.”

Watching the captain return to her room just like that, even Ben, who had absolute trust in her, couldn’t help but feel slightly bewildered, exchanging wordless glances with those beside him.

The pirates had the same reaction, making the atmosphere on deck somewhat eerie.

Until a sharp-eyed pirate standing by the ship’s rail glanced outward and cried out in alarm, causing everyone to turn their gazes to all sides.

Then they all opened their mouths slightly, discovering in shock…

The sea had calmed down.

Still as a mirror.